The 2013-2014 Owen Valley varsity boys’ basketball squad features two sets of brothers in senior twins Matt and Brendon Mahoney, along with Cameron and Nolan King, left to right. In all, the school’s boys’ basketball program includes seven sets of brothers. (Staff Photo)Often thought of as tight-knit groups of individuals focused on the same set of goals, a team of competitors tends to become a family. For Owen Valley varsity boys’ basketball head coach Chad Smith, though, several members of his ‘hoops family’ are connected by more than just a jersey.

Senior twins Brendon and Matt Mahoney know all about family members bonding on the court. The hardwood has also become a common ground for Gosport area siblings, senior Nolan King and sophomore Cameron King. In all, coach Smith’s program contains six sets of brothers, from the school’s freshman team to the varsity level.

OV freshmen Parker Roberts and Nick Boyd have brothers playing at the junior varsity level – sophomores Chase Roberts and Austin Boyd. The school’s junior varsity squad also includes twins Ethan and Caleb Wade, as well as Cody Hege, whose older brother, Dillan, is a senior for coach Smith’s varsity squad.

“I think the brother thing is very cool. I don’t think they will think about it that much until they are older, then it will be something really special for them to look back on,” Smith said. “I know as a parent, I think it would be something really cool to have both of my kids playing in the same game. At the same time, I am sure it can be tough after a game if one of them plays well, and the other does not. I guess I have just gotten used to it, though, and don’t think much about them being brothers anymore. Every once in a while we have some brotherly spats going on in practice, but we don’t ever worry about it, because that’s what brothers do. People always talk about how a team is like family... well, ours really is, literally.”

The Mahoneys have been teammates on the hardwood since fifth and sixth grade at Spencer Elementary, but only battled on the court while playing at home until the match-up became more common in practice.

“I’m always around him every day, so it’s nothing new,” Matt said.

Brendon added that while going against Matt may increase his competitive drive, he doesn’t approach the task any differently then he would going against another opponent.

“When I go against Matthew I may go a little harder, but in that instance he just the same as any other person,” Brendon noted.

Whether it’s a twin-connection or just years of repetition, the Mahoneys are able to compliment one another on the court.

“I think you just know where they’re going to be, what they’re strengths and weaknesses are,” Matt said. “It’s always good to build up each other’s confidence and stuff like that, I know he’s good in the post, so I know when to look for him in the post. When he does something good, it’s always good to compliment him on that to keep him going so that he stays on a roll. It’s been good to see each other’s skills develop over time.”

“You always want the other one to do well when you’re off the court and they’re on so you’re always cheering them on to keep them going,” Brendon added. “There are times we have our disputes, but you just have to move on from that. I know Matthew is better at playing defense than I am; he’s my height but he’s faster, he can guard guards and forwards – it’s cool to see how he shuts down other players... coach is always saying good things about him. It’s definitely a good learning experience and we want to do our best this season, because it’s our last.”

Just three games ago, Matt could be seen hounding Brendon after he was whistled for a first half technical against rival Edgewood.

“I was yelling at him at halftime against Edgewood,” Matt noted.

The competitive nature has been getting the best of the Mahoneys since league play in elementary school.

“In fifth grade my mom was helping coach our team and mom got kicked out of the game. A little while after she got kicked out, Matthew was thrown out for throwing a ball against the wall and kicking it,” Brendon admitted.

Just a sophomore, Cameron says playing alongside his older brother doesn’t seem that special at the moment, it’s all just hoops to him.

“We never played on a team before this, so it was something new, but it was something easy to do because it’s basketball, it’s still the same game,” he said. “It wasn’t a big ordeal to me because I’ve played AAU most of my life, so I’ve been in big situations... I’m just used to the pressure I guess.”

Unlike the Mahoneys, the Kings definitely step-up their game when they’re on opposite sides of the ball.

“We’ve played against each other a lot, especially one-on-one,” Nolan said. “At first it was kind of awkward, I didn’t know how to treat it, but he handles his own so I don’t really have to handle anything for him. With us not having played together before it was a lot of learning, but now we get along on the court better than off the court so I guess it’s good.”

Knowing the strengths of one another’s game also comes into play when the brothers critique each other off the court.

“I hold him to a higher standard, just because I know he’s capable of it,” Nolan added.

The Kings, though, point out the ‘mojo’ theory the Patriots have when it comes to the Mahoneys.

“They’re never good on the same day, every day” Nolan said. “When one’s good, the other’s bad.”

“Like coach says, we share our ‘mojo,’” Brendon said, smiling.

Matt, though, isn’t a believer, noting that both have been productive on the same night on multiple occasions and OV will likely need that cohesive production tonight,

Wednesday, as it gears up for a Western Indiana Conference championship showdown in Brazil against the host Northview Knights (9-7, 5-0 WIC).

The Patriots (8-8, 4-0 WIC) enter the contest eyeing their first WIC title since the playing days of Jared Maners and Harry Marshall in 2005. The ‘04-‘05 Patriots earned OV’s first WIC title, sharing the crown with rival Edgewood. With a win tonight, the Patriots would inch one game closer to the program’s first-ever outright WIC championship.

JV action gets underway at 6:00, with the varsity to tip-off at around 7:30.